Container and cover therefor



T. M. PRUDDEN June 28, 1927. 1,633,605

CONTAINER AND COVER THEREFOR Filed June 5. 1925 fizz/altarIYltOlblfMH'lldllJ Marzegg Ill Patented June 28, 1927.

. UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THEODORE MITCHELL PRUDDEN, 0F HINGIIAM, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO KALIXCUP COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

CONTAINER AND COVER THEREFOR.

Application filed June 3, 1925. Serial No. 34,682.

This invention relates to a cover for a food product pack which whenremoved, may be utilized as a spoon.

In the art of merchandising individual servings of ice cream and similarfood products, many efforts have been made to provide in associationwith the pack itself means by which to remove the contents of the pack.These efforts have produced spoons of various materials including metal.paper and cardboard, and have packed these spoons in various relationseither in or apart from the container.

Spoons or like articles apart from the pack are inconvenient. or incontact therewith they are unpleasant to handle.

My invention contemplates a spoon or the like, itself a part of the packand normally in contact with its contents, but when ready for usecapable of being held without soiling the fingers.

Furthermore such an article calls for two other and inconsistentfactors. It must be .thick enough to serve as an ordinary closure bymarginal engagement and also thin enough to give a good scooping, edge.On the other hand it must be strong enough to withstand the transversebending or break ing strains when used to remove the content whichusually is hard or frozen.

In accordance with my present invention, I provide an' ordinary disc orcap of cardboard such as is usually employed to cover paper or cardboardpacks, this cover being so constructed that it may readily be adapted tothe uses of a spoon.

Throughout the specification and drawings, like reference numerals areemployed to indicate corresponding parts, and in the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vie-w of a container closed with my cap.

Fig. 2 is a View of the cap removed and showing the scorings along whichit may be folded to form a spoon.

Fig. 3 shows the cover with one flap folded.

Fig. 4 is a view showing both flaps folded in place.

Fig. 5 Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4;.

is a section on the line 5-5 of If packed in the contents Fig. 7 is asection on the line 77 of Fig. 4.

My container consists of a paper cup similar to that disclosed in mycopending application, Serial No. 27,752. filed May 4, this cup beinggenerally indicated at 1. This cup is of general frusto-conicalconstruction and comprises walls 2 and a bottom 3., said walls beingformed with an annular depressed channel 4 adjacent the top thereof.vThis channel 4 is adapted to receive the cover 5. to be hereinafterdiscussed, and prevent accidental removal of the same therefrom.

Referring to the cover member 5, it will be noted that this is providedwith a tab 6 which, when the cap is in place on the container, extendsabove the periphery thereof and adapted to be engaged by hand orotherwise to remove the cover from the pack. T his tab may also be usedas a display surface for any instructive or descriptive matter as to thecontents of the cup. I

The cover is provided with two scorings or lines of fold 7 which asshown in the drawing may extend as diverging chords from either side ofthe tab (3. These scorings may however, be converging chords from anyportion of the periphery of the disc, and the tab may be positioned atany other point on the cover as indicated at (3. lVhen the cover isremoved and the segments 8 folded under the area 10 included between thescore line 7, the cover becomes a spoon-like scoop for removing thecontents of the package.

It will be noted that the nnderturned flaps or segments 8 protect thefingers from the underside of the cap which may be wet with the contentsof the pack. The flaps 8 also impart longitudinal stiffness to theportion 10 under which they are folded. The resulting device, it will beobserved is a very satisfactory spoon with which to eat the contents ofthe pack. This spoon is characterized by its single curved cutting edgewhich is well adapted to dig into the ice cream or other contents. Thesides of the spoon are doubled and reinforced and thus tend to give thelongitudinal stiffness required to support the cutting edge and toresist any prying action in removing the contents. The spoon is taperedto the divergence of the lines of fold so that it is convenientlygrasped by the fingers at its upper end, and at its lower end has asufliciently broad, lower or cutting end for the delivery of asubstantial spoonful of the contents of the pack. I have referred to thefolding of the segments 8 under the area 10 to protect the fingers. Somemay prefer to waive this protective feature for the sake of using theinner surface which has been protected and might be thought moresanitary. In that case, I simply reverse the fold and fold the segments8 over instead of under, thus exposing the inner surface of the disc.

Various. modifications in the lines of fold and shape and generalconstruction of the spoon may be resorted to without departing from thespiritof my invention, if within the limits of the appended claims.

lVhat I therefore claim and desire to se cure by Letters Patent is:

1. A paper closure for an ice cream pack or the like comprising a flatdisc of paper stock scored and foldable on diverging chords to form aspoon.

2. A closure for an ice cream pack or the like comprising a disc scoredto form a central area and outside segments, said segments beingfoldable upon said scorings under said central area, to form a spoon.

3. A paper closure for an ice cream pack or the like comprising a flatdisc of paper stock scored on two diverging chords to form a) centralarea and two outside segments, said segments being foldable upon saidscorings under said central area, to form an article capable of use as aspoon.-

4. A paper closure for an ice cream pack or the like comprising a flattabbed disc of paper stock scored on two diverging chords from said tabto form a central area and two outside segments, said segmentsbeing.fold able upon said scorings under said central area, to form anarticle capable of use as a spoon. v

5. A spoon consisting of a disc of sheet material weakened along twodiverging chords and folded along said lines of chord to provide a pairof overlapping flaps for longitudinally stiffening the material of thedisc included between said lines of chord. 6. A spoon consisting of adisc of sheet material having a peripheral tab, said disc weakened alongtwo lines which extend from said tab as diver ing chords, and foldedalong said lines o chord to provide a pair of overlapping segmentalflaps for longitudinally stiffening the material of the disc includedbetween said lines of chord.

7. The method of providing a spoon for an ice cream pack consisting inproducin a disc of cardboard or similar stock an divergently scoringsaid disc to form two outside segments and a central area, in foldingsaid segments along said scorings under said central area to protect theuser from the wet under surface thereof, the entire resulting devicebeing capable of use as a spoon.

8. A closure disc for a container having l'nedcterinined indicated linesof fold divergent from a central axis whereby a spoon shaped member isformed having a single curved cutting edge and laterally reinforced sideedges.

In testimony whereof I afiix my 'signa ture.

THEODORE MITCHELL PRUDDEN.

